1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multiple box cases for housing electronic and acoustical equipment for transport and operation, and more particularly to apparatus for safely and adjustably joining the separate boxes of such a multiple box case.
2. Description of Related Art
Equipment cases that transport, for example, audio devices have long been designed to permit full operation of such devices without removing a device from its case. This is accomplished by structuring the case in, say, two device-containing boxes, one of which is then offset from the other in an operating position to reveal the elements of said devices or equipment for access by an operator.
Widely used in the field of the personal delivery of recorded music to audiences by, for example, on-location disc jockeys, such multiple box cases have traditionally permitted an operator the choice between two and only two stable modes. In the first of these, the transport mode, the upper box of the case is mated with the lower box, usually by a small number of hook and latch fasteners, typically two on each of two opposing sides, each latch engaging only one transport hook. The equipment within each case box is generally hidden from view and thereby protected for transportation.
In the other of the two states, viz., the operating mode, the latches on the upper box of the case are disengaged from the lower box transport hooks, and the upper box is repositioned to overhang the lower box in an offset and cantilevered manner in order to expose the equipment in that lower box for operation.
The precise position of the offset upper box is determined and limited by the location of two fixed operating hooks on the lower box, each of which operating hook is situated between the transport hooks on a side of the lower case box, and, in the operating mode, is designed to engage the frontmost of the latches on the corresponding side of the upper box.
An example of the foregoing traditional multiple box case is the Genesis ST-17A, a 17 space DJ case sold by Genesis of Los Angeles, Calif. An upper box of the case is offset by approximately one-half its depth to achieve an operating position that is limited to the discrete location allowed by the placement of the operating hooks. These hooks are fastened, one on each side of the lower box, approximately midway between the two transport hooks. For each side, the frontmost latch, the one that had engaged the frontmost transport hook in the transport mode, now engages the operating hook, while the other (rearmost) latch has nothing to engage, being located on that portion of the upper box that is cantilevered out from the lower box. The operator is thus restricted to a single, fixed operating position. Moreover, relying on such a single point of contact on each side of a case to secure a heavy case box may result in undesirable and potentially dangerous loss of stability should any such contact point fail.
A more versatile arrangement, allowing for enhanced flexibility in the location of the upper box in the operating mode, is embodied in, for example, the Odyssey SS-1702 DJ case sold by Odyssey Designs of Baldwin Park, Calif. A channel or slider member is mounted along the top of each of the sides of the lower box, essentially extending over most of the depth of each side. The slider member, which serves as a continuous "hook" for both transport and operation, permits the operator to choose a variety of operating positions by positioning the frontmost of the latches on the upper box to engage the lower box member anywhere along its entire length. The operator may thus adjust the position of the upper box to suit his or her personal preference. However, as in the Genesis design described above, only a single point of contact, viz., the frontmost latch on each side of the upper case, is being relied on for securing the boxes to each other. Moreover, the greatly extended length of the slider member may in fact contribute to an increased likelihood of the case tipping over should the operator offset the upper box too far to the rear of the lower box.
Other devices related to moving a box-like article relative to other parts in an assembly include a variety of complex devices employing roller bearings and races. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,492 to Shirai teaches a slide unit mounted on a guide rail by rolling members and requiring grease nipples for lubrication. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,228 to Kovarik et al. teaches an arrangement of channel members, four separate sets of ball bearings, an intermediate slide member and first and second raceways to facilitate movement of a drawer relative to a stationary base.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a case for transporting and operating electrical and acoustic equipment that overcomes the cost and safety problems that are characteristic of the prior art.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an equipment case that is more secure than conventional cases in a transport mode, and which permits the operator a comfortable degree of continuous adjustment in operating position to suit his or her own preference, while maintaining a safe and stable arrangement of the case in the operating mode.